We the People--Becoming American

 

“The We the People Bookshelf reveals the many and varied influences that have shaped our nation’s history and culture. These classics also provide another powerful lesson: that there are traits and values shared by all those who, by birth or choice, become American.”

 

Grades K-3

 

The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland
A Vietnamese family flees strife and tyranny to find refuge in America, where one tiny seed helps preserve memories of their homeland.

 

Watch the Stars Come Out by Riki Levinson
A young girl learns of her great-grandmother’s voyage from the “Old Country” across the sea to America. Also available in Spanish.

 

Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say
A man reflects on his grandfather’s love for both his Japanese homeland and the United States in this tale of travel between cultures.

 

Grades 4-6

 

Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman
A vivid depiction in words and historic photographs of the lives of newcomers from many nations in the neighborhoods of New York City.

 

The People Could Fly: African Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton
These traditional stories reflect the mingled influences of African and American hopes and values.

 

Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
Classic illustrations bring to life this classic tale of a colonial subject who awakens from a magical slumber to find he is a citizen of the new American nation. Also available in Spanish.

 

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
A young girl moves from China to Brooklyn and decodes the culture of her new homeland through baseball.

 

Grades 7-8

 

Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
As the Civil War rages through the West and Indian territories, a young man struggles to choose among conflicting loyalties and beliefs.

 

The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers
One family’s journey from slavery to freedom is told through the experiences of each generation’s teenagers.

 

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The trials of an immigrant family, seen through the eyes of an imaginative young girl, shed light on the determination and hard work of every generation of newcomers.

 

Dragonwings by Laurence Yep
Based on the true story of an early flying machine, this novel explores the search for a new life among San Francisco’s Chinese immigrants.

 

Grades 9-12

 

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
As New Mexico becomes a territory of the United States, a newly appointed bishop arrives in Santa Fe to work amidst its varied peoples, traditions and landscapes. Also available in Spanish.

 

Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza
After his family travels from Mexico to California, a boy tries to reconcile his Mexican heritage and the American culture that now surrounds him.

 

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin edited by Louis P. Masur
Sometimes called the quintessential American character, Benjamin Franklin’s memoir illuminates the origins of our nation’s culture, government and the spirit of ingenuity.

 

Giants in the Earth: A saga of the Prairie by Ole Edvart Rolvaag
The hardships and triumphs of Norwegian settlers in the Dakotas are revealed in this classic novel first published in Norway.

 

About the Program
The We the People Bookshelf is offered in cooperation with the American Library Association. Libraries in communities and schools can apply to receive free copies of these books. Information for readers, parents, librarians and teachers can be found at The National Endowment for the Humanities.

 

This page created 8-22-08.